Protective glove with a wrist guard including an integral cuff

ABSTRACT

A protective glove includes a hybrid wrist guard with an integral cuff. The glove can include a hand portion, a cuff portion joined with the hand portion and defining a cuff opening, and a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wrist guard including an elongated band and a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the elongated band and covering the cuff opening. The wrist guard can include a wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extending forward from the elongated band and covering a dorsal opening defined by the backhand of the hand portion. The wrist guard provides enhanced flexibility to the glove, particularly during wrist extension, and can reduce the overall weight of the glove by combining different structural features in the wrist guard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to protective equipment, and moreparticularly to a protective glove having a wrist guard having anintegral rearward extending cuff that cooperates with spaced apart cuffpanels to provide enhanced flexibility and protection, and to promoteergonomic movement.

In many contact sports, such as lacrosse and hockey, sticks are elementsof the game. A player's hands, wrists, and lower arms are vulnerable tominor and sometimes significant injury when being checked by anotherplayer's stick. For this reason, players typically wear padded gloves toprotect their hands, wrists and lower arms during play of the sport.

An issue with most padded sports gloves, however, is that they canimpede natural movement of the hand and wrist, thereby making stickcontrol difficult, and in some cases not as fine-tuned. This movementimpairment is particularly prevalent in some gloves having wrist“tri-cuffs.” Tri-cuffs usually include three pads, with two padsoverlapping and covering a third pad. These three pads collectivelyoverlay the upper part of a user's wrist, and that are attached directlyto the back hand of the glove. These tri-cuffs provide decent mobilityduring wrist flexion and extension; however, because the tri-cuff moveswith the back of the glove, it might not provide maximum protection to awearer's wrist when the wrist is flexed forward. In such a case, theexposed wrist can be struck by a stick.

The tri-cuff and its movement also can be complicated by a wrist guardassociated with the glove, located where the tri-cuff and hand portionof the glove meet over the wrist. This wrist guard usually is of auniform thickness or width from end to end. In some cases, when thetri-cuff is extended or bent forward during flexion, the wrist guardbinds against it, making the glove feel rigid so movement of the wristand hand is impaired. Thus, while conventional tri-cuffs and wristguards provide enhanced protection, they also can reduce wrist mobilityand can impair efficient stick handling in some cases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a glove including a hybrid wrist guardhaving an integral rearward extending wrist guard cuff that cooperateswith adjacent, spaced apart cuff panels to provide enhanced flexibilityand protection, and to promote ergonomic movement.

In one embodiment, the glove can include a hand portion joined with acuff portion. The cuff portion can define a cuff opening between spacedapart cuff panels. The wrist guard can be joined with the hand portion,and can include an elongated band and a secondary wrist guard cuffextending rearward from the elongated band and covering at least aportion of the cuff opening.

In another embodiment, the wrist guard can include a tertiary padextending forward from the elongated band. The tertiary pad can cover adorsal opening defined by the backhand of the hand portion. With thisconstruction, a part of the wrist guard can cover the backhand, negatingadditional material and padding in the hand portion backhand.

In another embodiment, the glove, and in particular, the cuff portioncan include a first cuff panel and a second cuff panel, distal from oneanother, and extending rearward from a rearward edge of the handportion. The first and second cuff panels can be disposed opposite oneanother, across a longitudinal axis of the glove, on respective lateraland medial sides of the glove, and across the cuff opening from oneanother. These cuff panels can cooperate with the secondary wrist guardcuff to form a complete cuff pad covering the rear of a wearer's wrist.

The glove of the current embodiments, with its hybrid wrist guard havingan integral secondary wrist guard cuff, provides enhanced flexibility toa wearer of the glove, particularly during wrist extension, and can beconfigured to ride up a wearer's forearm during such wrist extension toprovide increased coverage of the forearm. In addition, the hybrid wristguard can provide a minimal amount of padding about wrist, yet stillprovide enhanced protection, flexibility and mobility to the wrist.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention willbe more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the descriptionof the current embodiment and the drawings.

Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the details ofoperation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of thecomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodimentsand of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways notexpressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may beused in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwiseexpressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed aslimiting the invention to any specific order or number of components.Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from thescope of the invention any additional steps or components that might becombined with or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a dorsal side of a glove including a hybridwrist guard according to a current embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a palmar side of the glove;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a medial side of the glove, while the glove isin a neutral mode;

FIG. 4 is side view of a lateral side of the glove, while the glove isin a neutral mode;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the glove and its interior;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the glove when in an extended mode;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the glove when in the extended mode;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the glove when the glove is in aflexed mode; and

FIG. 9 is a side view of the glove when in the flexed mode.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENTS

A protective glove in accordance with a current embodiment isillustrated in FIGS. 1-9 and generally designated 10. While the drawingsare illustrative of a left hand glove, the current embodiments can beincorporated into a right hand glove, which is generally a mirroredversion of the left hand glove. Additionally, the glove 10 asillustrated is designed for use in the game of lacrosse, however, theglove can be used in a variety of other sports or other activities, suchas ice or field hockey, or any other activity where a user may movetheir hand about their wrist, optionally in the process of manipulatinga game stick or other grasped item. For example, the glove can beincorporated into protective gear used by law enforcement, military orin other occupational or commercial endeavors.

The description of the glove 10 can be aided by brief discussion ofanatomy and movement of a hand, wrist and forearm. Generally, as usedherein, the wrist can refer to the wrist and/or the lower forearm. Thewrist can include a posterior side, a lateral side, a medial side and ananterior side, as defined by conventional anatomy. The hand itself of awearer can generally include fingers and a thumb. The hand can bedelineated into a dorsal side, that is, the back of the hand, a palmarside, that is, the front or palm of the hand, an ulnar side, whichcorresponds to the side of the hand near which the ulna bone in theforearm is disposed, and a radial side, which corresponds to the side ofthe hand near which the radius bone in the forearm is disposed.Generally, the wearer's wrist can flex and extend to and from a neutralposition. An example of a wrist in a neutral mode with the glove on awearer is shown in FIG. 3, while an extended mode of the wrist is shownin FIG. 6, and a flexed mode of the glove is illustrated in FIG. 9.Varying degrees of the neutral mode, the flexed mode and the extendedmode are possible.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective glove 10 can include a handportion 11 which can be configured to enclose different portions of thehand, such as the palmar side, dorsal side, ulnar side, radial sideand/or fingers of the wearer when the glove is applied to the hand. Theprotective glove 10 can include a back portion 12 and a palm portion 14,between which an interior space adapted to receive a wearer's hand isdefined. The back portion 12 can be configured so that it is generallyadjacent a dorsal side of the wearer's hand when the hand is insertedinto the glove, while the palmar portion 14 of the glove can be adjacenta palmar side of the hand when the hand is inserted into the glove. Theback portion 12 and its various components generally can be referred toas the hand dorsal portion of the glove.

The hand dorsal portion 12 optionally can include multiple protectiveelements 17, which can be in the form of padded portions secured theretothat provide padding and protection to a wearer's hand. The protectiveportions can be constructed of one or more layers of foam, polyurethane,polymers or other suitable materials. These individual protectiveportions can further be covered with a covering such as leather, plasticor other material to protect any internal foam or other padding therein.The multiple protective portions 17 can be sewn to a protective outermaterial such as a cloth, spandex or the like. Each of the protectiveportions 17 can define one or more flex lines there between, which allowthe glove, and in particular, the hand dorsal portion, to move as thewearer's hand moves to provide a better fit and comfort during play.Flex lines could take on a variety of different configurations andplacements as desired.

The hand dorsal portion can include upper dorsal pads 17U that arelocated at an upper end of the dorsal portion of the glove, optionallyadjacent and transitioning to the finger portions 13. These upper dorsalpads can be located immediately below the finger joint 13J, which iswhere the fingers can flex relative to the hand portion 11. The upperdorsal pads can extend downward from adjacent the finger joint towardthe cuff 40. Optionally, the upper dorsal pads can terminate at about ¼,⅓ or ½ the length L of the hand portion down from the finger joint.

The hand dorsal portion 12 also can include lateral dorsal pads 17L andmedial dorsal pads 17M, which cooperate with the upper dorsal pads 17Uto cover a portion of the hand dorsal portion of the glove. The dorsalhand portion 12 and these components in general can cooperatively definea dorsal opening DO in the backhand. This dorsal opening can be acomplete through hole in the backhand of the glove such that no part ofthe dorsal portion, for example, its pads, covers the dorsal portion ofa hand of a wearer donning the glove. As explained below, a portion ofthe wrist guard can cover all or part of the dorsal opening DO to coverand protect the underlying dorsal side of the wearer's hand. Optionally,where that portion of the wrist guard is not present, or there areopenings or apertures between that portion of the wrist guard and otherparts of the dorsal hand portion, the dorsal side of a wearer's hand isexposed, unconcealed and in plain view when the glove is on the wearer'shand.

The dorsal opening can include one or more widths W1, W2. Width W1 canbe a width closer to the wrist guard 50 than width W2, which can becloser to the upper dorsal pads. Width W1 can be less than, the same asor greater than width W2, depending on the application and the desiredshape of the dorsal opening. As shown, width W1 is less than width W2.

Openings or apertures in the backhand can form one or more vents, forexample, V1, V2 and V3. These vents or openings can enable air tocirculate freely into and out from the wearer's hand thereby providing acooling effect to improve comfort during extended periods of play. Theshape and number of vents of course can vary, and can be formed betweenand/or within different components. For example, vent V1 can be formedin the tertiary cuff portion 53 of the wrist guard 50; vent V2 can beformed between the tertiary cuff portion 53 and the lateral dorsal pad17L; and the vent V3 can be formed between the tertiary cuff portion 53and the medial dorsal pad 17M.

Optionally, the backhand of the dorsal portion 12 of the hand portion 11can be outfitted with a particular type of padding that can reducehyperextension of the wrist. Such a construction is described in U.S.Pat. No. 8,769,720 to Aoki, entitle “Lacrosse Glove,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

The hand portion 12 can include optional finger portions 13 as mentionedabove, which can correspond to the number of fingers on a user's hand.The number of finger portions can vary depending on the particular sportand/or activity. In addition, although shown with a thumb portion 15,which generally encloses or houses a thumb, the glove can be void ofthis thumb portion in certain applications.

The glove 10 can define a longitudinal axis LA which is best shown inFIG. 1. The longitudinal axis LA can bisect the glove 10 down itscenter. On one side of the longitudinal axis LA is a medial side M,which can correspond to a medial side of the wearer's wrist when theglove is worn by the wearer. Opposite the medial side is a lateral sideL, which can correspond to a lateral side of a wearer's wrist. Thelength L of the hand portion can be measured along this longitudinalaxis. The widths W1 and W2 of the dorsal opening DO can be measuredperpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the hand portion 11 is joined with a cuffportion 40. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the hand portion 12 can define arearward edge 12R. This hand portion rearward edge 12R can generallyextend and/or circumferentiate the wearer's hand and/or wrist when theglove is worn. The rearward edge 12R can form portions of differentparts of the hand portion 12. For example, the rearward edge 12R canform an end of the dorsal hand portion of the glove, the palmar handportion of the glove, as well as lateral and medial portions 17M and 17Lof the glove.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rearward edge 12R of the hand dorsal portion canbe in the form of or can include a binding 12B. This binding can secureends of pads, covers and other materials in the respective parts of thehand portion. This binding can include a piece of material that iswrapped, stitched, glued or otherwise fastened to, abutted and/oroverlapped ends the respective dorsal hand portion parts. The bindingcan extend forward from and generally wrap around or be placed adjacentthe rearward edge 12R. The binding optionally can connect the lateralbackhand pad 12L and a medial backhand pad 12M across a portion of thedorsal opening DO. The binding 12B optionally can be the only elementconnecting the pads 12M and 12L at the lowermost part of the dorsalopening DO. In this case, the binding can also form a support member tomaintain the dimensions and structure of the dorsal portion of the handportion of the glove. In some cases, the binding can span across thedorsal opening with other remnants or portions of materials, such asparts of covers, pads, foam or fabrics of the dorsal backhand. In thiscase, these other elements can add to the support provided by thebinding. Further, the binding 12B in the region between the lateral andmedial backhand pads can form a connecting bridge between these elementsand other elements of the glove depending on the application and preciselocation of the binding.

Optionally, the binding also can serve as an anchor point on the dorsalhand portion for the wrist guard 50. For example, the wrist guard 50 canbe tethered to the binding 12B via an elastic anchor strap 12AS. Thisstrap can be elastic, and can extend from the portion of the bindinglocated between the lateral and medial backhand pads, to the undersideor interior facing surface of the wrist guard 50 as shown in FIG. 5. Ofcourse, in some cases, the elastic strap can overlap the binding wherethe binding overlaps the medial and lateral backhand pads.

As mentioned above, the hand portion is joined with the cuff portion 40.With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the glove 10 can include first 41 andsecond 42 cuff panels joined with the hand portion 11. These panels canbe joined with the hand portion rearward edge 12R of, and in particular,portions of the rearward edge that extend to the lateral 12L and medial12M parts of the glove 10. The first and second cuff panels can besimilar in size, connection and dimension. The first cuff panel 41, alsoreferred to as the lateral cuff panel, can be disposed on a lateral sideL of the glove, while the second cuff panel 42, also referred to as amedial cuff panel, can be disposed on the medial side M of the glove,distal from the first cuff panel. The cuff panels optionally can beunattached to one another, and only attached to the hand portion, forexample, the rearward edge 12R or biding 12B.

Optionally, the second cuff panel 42 can be dimensioned slightly largerthan the first cuff panel due to the placement of the second cuff panelon the medial side M of the wrist. This location on the medial side M ofthe wrist, under the thumb, can generally be subject to increased numberof slashes and/or hits by an opponent's stick, as that thumb side ormedial side 12M of a glove more frequently faces upward than the lowerside 12L of the glove during maneuvering of a game stick. In some cases,the second cuff panel optionally can be 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% orgreater in size than the first cuff panel. In some cases, the first cuffpanel can be eliminated altogether. If desired, both cuff panels can beabsent from the glove.

Generally, the components of the first cuff panel 41 and second cuffpanel 42 can be similar and/or identical, and therefore only the firstcuff panel will be described in further detail here. To begin, the firstcuff panel again generally is disposed on the lateral side of the wristL when the glove is donned by a wearer, while the second cuff panel isdisposed on the medial side of the wrist M when the glove is donned bythe wearer. As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the first cuff panel can include afirst cuff panel exterior 41E and a first cuff panel interior 411.Likewise, the second cuff panel 42 can include an exterior 42E and aninterior 421. The exteriors 41E and 42E of the respective panels canface outward and form visible outer surfaces of the cuff portion 40,which can be unconcealed by other elements of the glove. The interior411 of the cuff elements can face inward toward the wearer's wrist W asshown in FIG. 7.

Returning to FIGS. 5 and 7, the first cuff panel 41 can include a firstcuff panel interior edge 43, and the second cuff panel can include asecond cuff panel interior edge 44. This interior edge 43 of the firstcuff panel can transition or project toward the hand portion 11, andmore particularly, the rearward edge 12R and/or binding 12B of the handportion 11. Likewise, the interior edge 44 of the second cuff panel cantransition and can extend toward the rearward edge 12R of the handportion 11. Collectively and cooperatively, the rearward edge 12R and/orbinding 12B, first cuff panel interior edge 43 and second cuff panelinterior edge 44 can define a cuff opening CO as shown in FIG. 1. Moregenerally, the first cuff panel 41 and second cuff panel 42 of the cuff40 can define the cuff opening therebetween. This opening optionally canbe unoccupied by any portion of the dedicated cuff panels 41, 42.

In some embodiments, the glove can include a floating cuff 30. Thefloating cuff 30 can be disposed immediately under the first and secondcuff panels. Optionally, the floating cuff can be similar to thatdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,636,951 to Morrow et al, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. The floating cuff can beinterposed on a wrist of the wearer, located generally between the cuffportion 40 and the wearer's wrist W. Optionally, the floating cuff canextend under the cuff opening CO, as well as the cuff panels andsecondary wrist guard cuff.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first and second cuff panels 41 and 42 canextend rearward and terminate at a respective first panel rear edge 41Rand a second panel rear edge 42R. These rear edges can form the limitsor rearmost boundaries of the cuff panels. Opposite the respective rearedges can be a connecting edge 41C of the first cuff panel and a secondconnecting edge 42C of the second cuff panel 42. These connecting orforward edges or portions edges can be bound, stitched, fused, welded,glued or otherwise attached to the hand portion, for example therearward edge 12R of the hand portion and/or the binding 12B. Theseconnecting edges 41C and 42C can be connected to the rearward edge 12Ror binding 12B distal from one another and disposed primarily on therespective medial M and lateral L sides of the wrist. Optionally, theconnecting edges are not joined with the binding 12B in the locationthat it forms a connecting bridge between the lateral and medial dorsalpads. Further optionally, the connecting edges can be flexibly joinedwith the hand portion so as to form a first lateral joint 41LJ betweenthe first cuff panel and the hand portion, and to form a second medialjoint 42MJ between the second cuff panel and the hand portion. Withthese joints, the panels can be flexible relative to the hand portion.For example, the cuff panels can fold, freely hinge or move relative tothe hand portion about respective pivot axes or folding regions of therespective joints. These joints can be bolstered with extra material ifdesired to withstand the multiple bending actions during the life of theglove.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the first and second cuff panels 41 and 42can be separated from one another approximately the width of the cuffopening CO. For example, near the binding 12B, the cuff panels 41, 42can be separated by a first width W3 of the cuff opening from oneanother at their inner edges 43, 44. Near the rear edges 41R and 42R,these panels can be separated from one by a second width W4 of the cuffopening from one another at their inner edges 43, 44. The second widthcan be greater than the first width, or optionally the same as or lessthan the first width. These first and second cuff panels can bededicated to primarily protecting the lateral side L and medial side Mof the wrist respectively, without substantially extending upward overthe posterior 201 of the wearer's wrist W. Again, this is because thefloating cuff 40 can cooperate with the wrist guard 50 as describedbelow to offer substantial protection, without the aid of other panels,pads or protective layers.

As mentioned above, the glove 10 also includes a hybrid wrist guard 50.The wrist guard can be disposed adjacent the hand portion 11 andadjacent the cuff portion 40, optionally straddling both of thoseportions. The wrist guard 50 can further be positioned so that it coversthe rearward edge 12R and binding 12B of the glove. The wrist guard caninclude an elongated band 55. This band can include a forward edge 55Fand a rearward edge 55R. The band 55 can be configured to include afirst elongated band 51 extending toward the lateral side L andoptionally covering the first joint 41LJ, and a second elongated band 52extending toward the medial side M and optionally covering the secondjoint 42MJ. In some applications, the first and second elongated bandscan be formed from separately and independently constructed pads thatare disposed in a common cover disposed over the bands.

Optionally, the band 55 can circumferentiate optionally at least 40%,further optionally at least 50%, and even further optionally at least60% or more of a wearer's wrist. The ends of the first and second bandportions can be secured to the hand portion 11 with a fastening element55F. This fastening element can be in the form of an elastic strap, afabric web, a hook-and-loop fastener, such as Velcro™, buttons, latches,strings or the like. Where the fastening element is an elastic strap, itcan be elastic or stretchable enough to enable the wrist guard to floatover the backhand yet stay generally centered over the user's wrist.

The band 55 or the wrist guard 50 can also include a central portion 53.This central portion can be disposed between the ends of the first andsecond elongated bands 51, 52, and/or can be incorporated into therespective first and second elongated bands. The central portion 53 caninclude a rearward part 53R, which can coincide or be aligned with aportion of the rearward edge 55R of the band. The wrist guard 50 caninclude a secondary wrist guard cuff 54 extending rearward from therearward part of the central portion 53. The secondary wrist guard cuff54 can be joined with the rearward part 55R of the central portion ofthe wrist guard at an articulating joint configured to enable thesecondary wrist guard cuff 54 to articulate downward upon extension andflexion of a wrist of a wearer of the glove 10. This joint can be theresult of the pads of the elongated band being separately andindependently constructed from a pad that is included in the secondarywrist guard cuff. Further, the cover over the elongated band pads andthe secondary wrist guard cuff pads can be flexible or thinned where thesecondary wrist guard cuff is joined to the band at the joint, so as topromote the flexibility of the cuff relative to the band.

The secondary wrist guard cuff 54 can extend a first distance D1 out andover or into the cuff opening CO so that the secondary wrist guard cuffsubstantially fills or covers that cuff opening. Generally, the cuffopening can be of a length L2, and the distance D1 can be greater thanthe length L2. In turn, this secondary wrist guard cuff can protect awrist when the wrist is under the cuff opening CO.

The secondary wrist guard cuff 54 can include a medial side edge 54M anda lateral side edge 54L, on the respective lateral L and medial M sidesof the axis LA. These side edges can be closer to the longitudinal axisthan the first and second cuff panels in some cases. In others, theseelements can be the same distance from the longitudinal axis.Optionally, these side edges can be substantially parallel to theoutermost lateral and medial boundaries of the cuff opening so as toadequately and cleanly cover the same. Further, the width of thesecondary wrist guard cuff can be greater than the respective widths ofthe cuff opening in corresponding locations. For example, near the rearedge of the wrist guard cuff 54, the width of that cuff 54 can begreater than the width W4 of cuff opening CO when the glove is in aneutral mode. Near the forward edge of the wrist guard cuff, the widthof the cuff can be greater than the width W3 of cuff opening CO of theopening when the glove is in a neutral mode.

The secondary wrist guard cuff 54 medial side edge 54M and a lateralside edge 54L can be tethered or anchored to the first and second cuffpanels in some applications. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the medialside edge 54M can be elastically coupled to the interior edge of thesecond cuff panel 42 via an elastic element, such as a second elasticstrap 42S. The lateral side edge 54L can be elastically coupled to theinterior edge of the first cuff panel 41 via an elastic element, such asa first elastic strap 41S. These elastic straps can be tethered to therespective cuff panels at the seams of the respective cuff panels andsecondary wrist guard cuff if desired.

The secondary wrist guard cuff 54 can be disposed and movable within thecuff opening CO. Optionally, the secondary wrist guard cuff 54substantially fills the cuff opening, spanning from the first cuff panelinterior edge 43 to the second cuff panel interior edge 44. As shown inFIGS. 1-4, neither the first cuff panel nor the second cuff panelsubstantially overlaps the secondary wrist guard cuff 54. In thismanner, the wrist guard cuff is free to move upward and bend, as shownin FIG. 8, thereby facilitating mostly free extension of the wristwithout the wrist guard cuff engaging or being bound or impeded in itsmovements by the respective first cuff panel 41 and/or second cuff panel42. In some cases, during the upward extension as further describedbelow, these first and second cuff panels will flex outward away fromthe longitudinal axis LA of the glove to permit the desired amount ofextension and/or flexion of the wrist.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 7, the secondary wrist guard cuff 54 canform an uppermost or highest protective layer covering a posterior side201 of a wearer's wrist W. This secondary wrist guard cuff can beuncovered or not overlapped above the posterior side 201 of the wearer'swrist W by any other additional padding layers or protective layers. Thesecondary wrist guard cuff, however, can itself extend over anunderlying floating cuff 30, if the same is included in the glove.

The respective edges of the secondary wrist guard cuff 54 and the firstand second cuff panels 41, 42 can be oriented so that they abut or areadjacent one another, with the secondary wrist guard cuff slightlycovering or disposed over the interior edges of the cuff panels when theglove is in the neutral mode as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. When thesecomponents, that is, the cuff panels and the secondary wrist guard cuffmove during flexion and/or extension of the wrist, the respective panelsmove relative to one another as further described below to provide thedesired mobility of the wrist W.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the wrist guard 50 can include and/or bejoined with a wrist guard tertiary backhand panel 56 extending from theforward edge 55F of the band 55. This tertiary backhand panel 56 can belocated adjacent and connected to a forward portion of the centralportion 53. The panel itself can be flexibly coupled to the centralpanel of band so that the panel can flex and move with the glove. Thewrist guard tertiary backhand panel can be disposed on the centralportion 53, opposite the secondary wrist guard cuff 54 extending fromthe rear edge of the band.

Generally, the tertiary backhand panel 56 extends over and at leastpartially covers the dorsal opening DO. In the glove 10, thereoptionally are no pads of the hand portion or the associated dorsalportion that extend over the dorsal opening between the lateral backhandportion 17L and the medial backhand portion 17M. Put another way, thetertiary backhand panel 56 of the wrist cuff optionally can be the onlyelement covering all or a substantial portion of the dorsal opening.

The wrist guard tertiary backhand panel 56 can include a first end 56Ajoined with the front edge 55F, and a second end 55B joined with oradjacent the upper dorsal pads 17U. The tertiary backhand panel 56 thusis generally disposed between the elongated band 55 and the upper dorsalpads 17U. The tertiary backhand panel can extend at least half adistance D3 between the elongated band and the upper dorsal pad asshown. In other applications, the tertiary backhand panel can extendoptionally at least ¾, further optionally at least %, even furtheroptionally ⅓, yet further optionally ¼ or other proportions of thedistance D3.

As mentioned above, the tertiary backhand panel can define one or morevent openings, for example, vent opening V1, which extends completelythrough that panel. Of course, in some cases, the vent openings can becovered with a breathable material such as mesh or a fabric. The lateral56L and medial 56M edges of the tertiary backhand panel can be separatedfrom the lateral and medial backhand pads 17L and 17M respectively. Inturn, this can form additional vent openings V2 and V3 in the dorsalportion of the hand. Generally, these openings can be contiguous withand/or overlap the dorsal opening DO.

As shown, the tertiary backhand panel can include one or more padstherein, that are covered by a cover of material. The pads in this panelcan be separately constructed from and independent from the pads of theband and/or the secondary wrist guard cuff. Of course, in some cases,all of the pads can be contiguous and integral, formed as a single pad.

As mentioned above, the hybrid wrist guard 50 and the glove 10 ingeneral are operable in a neutral mode, an extended mode and a flexedmode. These modes correspond to the neutral position of the wrist, theextended position of the wrist and the flexed position of the wrist. Inthe neutral mode, shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, when the glove is on thewearer's hand, the hybrid wrist guard 50 generally encircles thewearer's wrist W. The secondary wrist guard cuff 54 extends rearwardfrom the band 55, and is disposed on or over the posterior 201 of thewearer's wrist. The secondary wrist guard cuff in this configurationoperates to cover a majority if not all of the cuff opening CO in thecuff portion 40. Indeed, this wrist guard cuff 54, in combination withthe lateral and medial cuff panels 41 and 42, generally form the cuffportion 40.

The lateral and medial cuff panels 41 and 42 flank the secondary wristguard cuff 54, and are disposed on the respective lateral 203 and medial204 sides of the wrist W. In this neutral mode, the lateral 54L andmedial 54M side edges of the secondary wrist guard cuff 54 can bedisposed adjacent the interior edges 43, 44 of the respective lateraland medial cuff panels 41 and 42. Indeed, these edges can slightlyoverlap the exterior surfaces of these panels in this configuration.Further, in this configuration, the lateral edge 54L can form an acuteangle A with the rear edge 55R of the band 55, and the medial edge 54Mcan form another acute angle B with the rear edge 55R of the band 55.These acute angles optionally can be less than 90°, further optionallyless than 85°, even further optionally less than 80°, and yet furtheroptionally less than 75°. Of course, in some cases the angles can beobtuse or right angles, depending on the configuration of the bandand/or the secondary wrist guard cuff.

The glove 10 can transition from a neutral mode shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and4 to an extended mode shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. There, the wrist isextended upward so that the hand moves upward as well. In this manner,the orientation of the hand relative to the wrist and forearm changes.When the hand moves to the extended position as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,the cuff 54 moves relative to the hand portion 11 of the glove. As anexample, the secondary wrist guard cuff angles or rotates upward to anangle D relative to the wrist W or the floating cuff 30. Generally, evenwhen so rotated up, the cuff 54 covers a substantial portion of the cuffopening. In this extended mode, the cuff 54 may move away from thelateral and medial cuff panels 41, 42, as well as the optional floatingcuff 30. The elastic straps, where included, can optionally stretch, yetcan maintain the orientation of these elements, and prevent them fromseparating completely. This can maintain adequate protection of thewrist via the cuff portion 40. During this flexing, the tertiary panel56 extending from the forward edge of the band 55 also maintainscoverage of the dorsal opening DO.

The glove 10 also can transition from the neutral mode to the flexedmode shown in FIGS. 8-9. As shown there, when the wrist W flexes, thesecondary wrist guard cuff 54 remains on the wearer's wrist, encirclingit and protecting it, and in particular, the posterior 201 of thewearer's wrist. In this configuration, the first cuff panel 41 andsecond cuff panel 42 can flex or dynamically move slightly outward adistance D5. The amount of outward movement the distance D5 can belimited by the elastic straps 41S and 42S, which can prevent the cuffpanels from opening too large a gap between one another. With thisoptional outward movement of the respective first and second cuffpanels, movement of the wrist guard cuff 54 is relatively free.

In the flexed mode, the wrist guard can also move in other ways. Forexample, as mentioned above the wrist guard includes the tertiary panel56 extending over the dorsal opening DO. In the flexed mode, shown inFIG. 9, the secondary wrist guard cuff can be pushed forward slightly bythe wearer's wrist. This in turn can cause the band 55 to move slightlyforward in direction P as well. Because the band 55 is joined with thetertiary panel 56, it can move that panel. For example, the band canpush on the rearward part of the panel 56. Because the forward part ofthe panel is fixed to the upper dorsal pads 17U, the tertiary backhandpanel 56 can be configured to arch upward in direction N over the dorsalopening. This in turn further opens up the vent holes V2 and V3 on thesides. With this motion, the tertiary backhand panel can enable thewrist to flex more than with a rigid, stationary backhand set of panels,thereby improving mobility of the wrist and hand, all while the wristguard tertiary panel 56 maintaining protection over the dorsal openingDO.

Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,”“upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are usedto assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of theembodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional termsshould not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specificorientation(s).

The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention.Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from thespirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles ofpatent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure ispresented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as anexhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limitthe scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated ordescribed in connection with these embodiments. For example, and withoutlimitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may bereplaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similarfunctionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes,for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those thatmight be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternativeelements that may be developed in the future, such as those that oneskilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative.Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features thatare described in concert and that might cooperatively provide acollection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to onlythose embodiments that include all of these features or that provide allof the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly setforth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in thesingular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” isnot to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Anyreference to claim elements as “at least one of X, Y and Z” is meant toinclude any one of X, Y or Z individually, and any combination of anynumber of X, Y and Z, for example, X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; and Y, Z.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A protective glove,comprising: a hand portion including a hand palmar portion and anopposing hand dorsal portion, the hand portion including a lateral sideand a medial side, the hand portion including a hand portion rearwardedge, the hand dorsal portion defining a dorsal opening spanning fromthe hand portion rearward edge toward a finger portion joined with andextending from the hand portion; a thumb portion joined with andextending from the hand portion; a first cuff panel extending rearwardfrom the hand portion substantially only on the lateral side, the firstcuff panel including a first cuff panel forward edge that is flexiblyjoined at a first joint with the hand portion rearward edge; a secondcuff panel extending rearward from the hand portion substantially onlyon the medial side, the second cuff panel including a second cuff panelforward edge that is flexibly joined at a second joint with the handportion rearward edge at a location distal from the first joint so thatthe first cuff panel and second cuff panel can move independently of oneanother, the first cuff panel and second cuff panel define a cuffopening therebetween; and a wrist guard joined with the hand portion,the wrist guard including a first elongated band extending toward thelateral side and covering the first joint, the wrist guard including asecond elongated band extending toward the medial side and covering thesecond joint, the wrist guard including central portion between thefirst and second elongated bands, the central portion having a rearwardpart; a secondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the rearwardpart of the central portion a first distance over the cuff opening sothat the secondary wrist guard cuff protects a wrist when the wrist isunder the cuff opening.
 2. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein thesecondary wrist guard cuff includes a medial side edge and a lateralside edge, wherein the medial side edge is elastically joined with aninterior edge of the second cuff panel, wherein the lateral side edge iselastically joined with an interior edge of the first cuff panel.
 3. Theprotective glove of claim 2, wherein the medial side edge is joined withthe interior edge of the second cuff panel via an elastic strap.
 4. Theprotective glove of claim 1, comprising a floating cuff disposed underthe first cuff panel, the second cuff panel and the secondary wristguard cuff.
 5. The protective glove of claim 1, comprising: a tertiarybackhand panel extending from a forward edge of the wrist guard,opposite the secondary wrist guard cuff, wherein the tertiary backhandpanel extends over and at least partially covers the dorsal opening. 6.The protective glove of claim 4, wherein the secondary wrist guard cuffincludes a medial side edge and a lateral side edge, wherein the medialside edge and lateral side edge are each disposed closer to alongitudinal axis of the glove than the first cuff panel and the secondcuff panel.
 7. The protective glove of claim 1, wherein the wrist guardincludes a plurality of pads covered by a common cover, wherein thesecondary wrist guard cuff includes a secondary pad, separately andindependently constructed from the plurality of pads, wherein the coverextends rearward over the secondary pad.
 8. The protective glove ofclaim 7, wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff is joined with therearward part of the central portion of the wrist guard at anarticulating joint configured to enable the secondary wrist guard cuffto articulate downward upon extension of a wrist of a wearer of theglove.
 9. A protective glove, comprising: a hand portion including arearward edge and a backhand portion defining a dorsal opening; a cuffportion joined with the hand portion along a joint at the rearward edge,the cuff portion including first and second cuff panels separated fromone another by a cuff opening in the cuff portion; a wrist guard joinedwith the hand portion, the wrist guard having an elongated band portionextending substantially around a wrist portion of the hand portion, asecondary wrist guard cuff extending rearward from the elongated bandportion and covering the cuff opening in the cuff portion and configuredto thereby protect a wrist of a wearer lying directly under thesecondary wrist guard cuff, the wrist guard including a wrist guardtertiary backhand panel extending forward from the elongated bandportion and covering the dorsal opening.
 10. The protective glove ofclaim 9, wherein the hand portion includes a binding that extendsforward from the rearward edge, wherein the binding connects a lateralbackhand pad and a medial backhand pad, the lateral backhand pad andmedial backhand pad being separated by the dorsal opening.
 11. Theprotective glove of claim 10, wherein the binding is secured to thewrist guard between the lateral backhand portion and the medial backhandportion.
 12. The protective glove of claim 11, wherein the hand portionincludes no pads over the dorsal opening between the lateral backhandportion and the medial backhand portion, wherein the wrist guardtertiary backhand panel of the wrist cuff is the only element coveringthe dorsal opening.
 13. The protective glove of claim 9, wherein thefirst cuff panel includes a first cuff panel forward edge that isflexibly joined at a first joint with a hand portion rearward edge ofthe hand portion, wherein the second cuff panel includes a second cuffpanel forward edge that is flexibly joined at a second joint with thehand portion rearward edge of the hand portion, wherein the wrist guardcovers the first joint and the second joint and a binding extendingbetween the first joint and the second joint.
 14. A protective glove,comprising: a hand portion; a finger portion joined with the handportion; a cuff portion joined with the hand portion along a joint, thecuff portion including a forward edge and a rearward edge, the cuffportion defining a cuff opening extending from the forward edge to therearward edge; and a wrist guard joined with the hand portion, the wristguard including an elongated band portion and a secondary wrist guardcuff extending rearward from the elongated band portion and covering thecuff opening, wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff extends fromadjacent the joint to the rearward edge so that the secondary wristguard cuff, first cuff panel and second cuff panel cooperatively protecta wrist of a wearer lying directly under the secondary wrist guard cuff,the first cuff panel and the second cuff panel, wherein the secondarywrist guard cuff does not substantially overlap the first cuff panel orthe second cuff panel adjacent the cuff opening.
 15. The protectiveglove of claim 14, wherein the hand portion defines a dorsal opening;wherein the wrist guard includes a wrist guard tertiary backhand panelextending forward from the elongated band portion and covering thedorsal opening.
 16. The protective glove of claim 15, wherein the wristguard tertiary backhand panel is joined with an upper dorsal pad,wherein the wrist guard tertiary backhand panel extends at least half adistance between the elongated band and the upper dorsal pad.
 17. Theprotective glove of claim 14, wherein the cuff portion includes firstand second cuff panels that are attached to the secondary wrist guardcuff via at least one elastic strap.
 18. The protective glove of claim15, wherein the first cuff panel includes a first interior edge, whereinthe second cuff panel includes a second interior edge, wherein the firstinterior edge is anchored to the secondary wrist guard cuff with a firstelastic strap and the second interior edge is anchored to the secondarywrist guard cuff with a second elastic strap.
 19. The protective gloveof claim 14, wherein the secondary wrist guard cuff is a trapezoidalshape with a forward portion adjacent the elongated band portion and arearward portion, that is wider than the forward portion, distal fromthe elongated band portion.
 20. The protective glove of claim 15,wherein the cuff portion includes a lateral first cuff panel and amedial second cuff panel, wherein the lateral first cuff panel includesa first width, wherein the medial second cuff panel includes a secondwidth, wherein the first width is less than the second width.